When a Web site vendor increases prices or when an important customer complains to a marketing director that the firm's Web site is a problem, a cyclone of organizational activity begins. Many times, no single person in an organization has the perspective from which to view a Web issue and see its many facets.

Web sites are becoming more complex. Applications are shifting to browsers. The buzz word Web services means that the Web is going to work like a traditional PC or mainframe. Expectations for a Web site continue to rise. In addition to informational functions, the Web site is becoming a far richer environment. In fact, a new term -- rich Web site -- has come into SEO vocabulary to refer to a Web site that performs multiple complex functions.

In the present business climate, vendors are expected to pull their weight. When a problem arises, it may be difficult to determine what happened and where the miscommunication or issue arose. It may be a technical matter with a Web site failing to be online at critical times. The problem may be one of performance with a Web site responding too slowly to keep customers from clicking away before a page renders. It may be a contract issue, essentially a potentially difficult situation with money and business credibility at stake.

BGND's professionals have the experience and expertise to perform the following tasks for clients in the public or for-profit sectors:

Gather information from interviews, contracts, organizational information, and other sources

Test software and systems from an engineering perspective informed by an understanding of the legal requirements of the contract governing a particular matter

Analyze the data gathered

Formulate an opinion and options for addressing the matter.

The result is an objective assessment of a situation involving a Web site and the services a vendor rendered for optimization. The BGND team can help answer such questions as "Did the vendor perform the stated services?" "Was the result in line with the spirit and letter of the agreement between the vendor and the client?" "What actions and degrees of freedom are available to the BGND client."

BGND combines legal, technical, and business expertise to help a client determine if what a vendor said it would do was indeed done. If your organization has questions about services, software, and systems delivered for the purpose of optimizing a Web site, BGND will be able to help you answer those questions and determine an appropriate course of action.

If you want to know about our IV&V services, please, send us an e-mail. Better yet, call. There is no charge for a preliminary discussion. Due to their nature, IV&V services begin at $8,500 and go up, depending on the client's particular requirements.